Four women murdered in Silverton, but police silence leaves residents fearing a killer may still be on the loose.
Why has everybody gone silent about the so-called Silverton serial killer?
Earlier this month, speculation that an alleged serial killer is on the loose spread shock and fear through the Silverton and greater Pretoria area, after the police revealed that five bodies had been discovered.
The police’s original statement was that a body was found in a shallow grave with a PS note attached. More badly burned bodies were found between June and July in Silverton, between the Watloo and Denneboom train stations.
Four bodies in a matter of two months with an obvious similarity screams serial killer to me… and the rest of the community.
However, police said it was not confirmed that a serial killer was behind the killings.
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A few days after the first body was found in a shallow grave, police arrested a suspect who had fled to Limpopo to hide in his grandmother’s house.
While the swift arrest was welcomed, the question remained of who had killed the other four victims during June and July.
Inquiries to get more information about these mysterious killings of women earlier this month were fruitless.
All we knew was that four women were murdered, burned and dumped in a field. It was unclear if there were other similarities, such as their ages, time of day the crimes took place and the method of the murder.
A follow-up inquiry to police after an anonymous call on a Saturday night regarding allegations about the so-called serial killer was answered with “an arrest has not been made yet”.
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This suggests that the killer is still out there, possibly preying on his next victim.
How would we know, if we were not informed? While the police had little to say, communities and women are living in fear because anybody could be next.
According to the anonymous tip-off, the suspected serial killer in Silverton is a foreigner who has fled the country. While police could not confirm this, it isn’t impossible and it’s understandable they would not respond because some of the allegations would put police in a bad light.
I suspect the so-called Silverton serial killer may never be found. Long story short, the women in Silverton can rest easy now, or can they?
On Women’s Day, Action Society released shocking statistics of gender-based violence, rape and murder.
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Action Society spokesperson Juanita du Preez said every month in South Africa, an average of 320 women are murdered, 3 934 are raped, and 5 341 suffer grievous bodily harm.
Du Preez also said the police crime statistics for 1 October to 31 December 2024 recorded 961 women murdered, which was 11 every day, or 320 every month; 11 803 women raped, which was 131 every day and 3 934 every month; and 16 023 women assaulted with 174 every day, or 5 341 every month.
But it wasn’t the high crime statistics that shocked me, it was a comment by Du Preez; “Many women don’t celebrate Women’s Day; they survive it.”
She is right – and many women who survive brutal attacks are subjected to second- and third-degree trauma by prolonged investigations and court cases, which amount to delayed justice or justice denied.
Whether the perpetrator is a confirmed serial killer or not, a foreign national or a local man, and if he escaped from jail or not, the case exposes the loopholes in the system meant to safeguard women, from the department of home affairs, border control, the police and the National Prosecuting Authority.
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